Self-reported ethnicity and genetic ancestry in relation to oral cancer and pre-cancer in Puerto Rico.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hispanics are known to be an extremely diverse and genetically admixed ethnic group. The lack of methodologies to control for ethnicity and the unknown admixture in complex study populations of Hispanics has left a gap in understanding certain cancer disparity issues. Incidence rates for oral and pharyngeal cancer (OPC) in Puerto Rico are among the highest in the Western Hemisphere. We conducted an epidemiological study to examine risk and protective factors, in addition to possible genetic susceptibility components, for oral cancer and precancer in Puerto Rico.

Methodology/principal findings

We recruited 310 Puerto Rico residents who had been diagnosed with either an incident oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral precancer, or benign oral condition. Participants com

SUBMITTER: Erdei E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3163652 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature